An Accidental Death: A DC Smith/Kings Lake Investigation

In this excellent British procedural—Grainger’s first in a series originally published in the U.K.—recently demoted detective constable Peter Smith returns to work for England’s Kings Lake police department despite pressure from his superiors to retire after an internal investigation into one of his previous cases. Smith is saddled with the tedious tasks of training new hire Christopher Waters and reviewing the apparently straightforward drowning of 17-year-old Wayne Fletcher after an afternoon of drinking and smoking near a river. Smith takes on both assignments with unflappable dignity, grating the nerves of his former underling and new boss, Det. Supt. Allen. Bothered by contradictory details in Fletcher’s postmortem report and conflicting statements from witnesses, Smith, with the eager Waters in tow, probes the boy’s death, only to be met with opposition from department heads focused more on budget cutbacks than justice. Soon, Smith and Waters uncover a twisted history of persecution that casts Fletcher’s death in a new light. The gruff and uncompromising Smith is a copper in the spirit of George Gently and John Rebus—that is, complicated and not cartoonish—and the core investigation spirals into a chilling look at social exile. Readers will be eager for the next installment. (May)